Golden Gate Bridge anniversary celebration begins

Bash for 75th: Dignitaries kick off weekend's big celebration

Updated 2:10 pm, Sunday, December 30, 2012

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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California Highway Patrol officers walk past the new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion wrapped with a bow for a dedication ceremony in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. The event kicked off a weekend of events to celebrate the iconic bridge's 75th anniversary. less

California Highway Patrol officers walk past the new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion wrapped with a bow for a dedication ceremony in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. The event kicked off a weekend of ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Rep. Nancy Pelosi hugs Gus Villalta, an ironworker who helped build the Golden Gate Bridge 75-years ago, as Mayor Ed Lee looks on during a dedication ceremony for the new Bridge Pavilion in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. The event kicked off a weekend of events to celebrate the iconic bridge's 75th anniversary. less

Rep. Nancy Pelosi hugs Gus Villalta, an ironworker who helped build the Golden Gate Bridge 75-years ago, as Mayor Ed Lee looks on during a dedication ceremony for the new Bridge Pavilion in San Francisco, ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Franklin Davis (right) organizes musical instruments during a dedication ceremony for the new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. His band, Brassworks, performed during the event, which kicked off a weekend of events to celebrate the iconic bridge's 75th anniversary. less

Franklin Davis (right) organizes musical instruments during a dedication ceremony for the new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. His band, Brassworks, performed during ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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A protester distributes information warning of lead contamination from the Golden Gate Bridge repainting project during a dedication ceremony for the new Bridge Pavilion in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. The event kicked off a weekend of events to celebrate the iconic bridge's 75th anniversary. less

A protester distributes information warning of lead contamination from the Golden Gate Bridge repainting project during a dedication ceremony for the new Bridge Pavilion in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Musical instruments from the Brassworks band are set aside during a dedication ceremony for the new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. The event kicked off a weekend of events to celebrate the iconic bridge's 75th anniversary. less

Musical instruments from the Brassworks band are set aside during a dedication ceremony for the new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. The event kicked off a weekend ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Lorna Strauss Bantz (left) views a statue of her great uncle, Golden Gate Bridge designer Joseph Strauss, with her friend Berniel Mroz, before a dedication ceremony for the new Bridge Pavilion building in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. The event kicked off a weekend of events to celebrate the iconic bridge's 75th anniversary. less

Lorna Strauss Bantz (left) views a statue of her great uncle, Golden Gate Bridge designer Joseph Strauss, with her friend Berniel Mroz, before a dedication ceremony for the new Bridge Pavilion building in San ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Gov. Jerry Brown and event co-chair Larry Baerarrive for the dedication ceremony for the new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. The event kicked off a weekend of events to celebrate the iconic bridge's 75th anniversary. less

Gov. Jerry Brown and event co-chair Larry Baerarrive for the dedication ceremony for the new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. The event kicked off a weekend of ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Mayor Ed Lee chat with Gov. Jerry Brown before a dedication ceremony for the new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. The event kicked off a weekend of events to celebrate the iconic bridge's 75th anniversary. less

Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Mayor Ed Lee chat with Gov. Jerry Brown before a dedication ceremony for the new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 25, 2012. The event kicked off a ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Golden Gate Bridge anniversary celebration begins

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Everyone likes to make a good impression on her birthday, and the Golden Gate Bridge is no different.

The orange span was on glorious display Friday morning as the sun shone down on it and hundreds of people - many draped in the color du jour - gathered to exalt the bridge on its 75th birthday. The ceremony kicked off a weekend of celebrations that will culminate in a festival and fireworks display Sunday night.

In addition to professing their love and awe for the iconic bridge, many of the dignitaries who addressed the crowd on Friday noted the incredible foresight of those who built and supported the unprecedented public works project - particularly impressive because it happened during the Great Depression.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee declared Friday Golden Gate Bridge Anniversary Day in the city and said the span continues to symbolize the innovation and prosperity that are the hallmarks of the region.

'Beyond the years'

"I love that song, especially the second verse - 'O beautiful, for patriot dream/ That sees beyond the years.' That's exactly what the people who envisioned this bridge did. They saw beyond the years," Pelosi said. "I want to celebrate what this bridge has given us, what it means to the city, the state and the nation. ... We are possessive of it in this area, but it is a national treasure that is recognized around the world."

While the visionaries who engineered the bridge have long since died, some of their descendents were on hand Friday. Lorna Strauss Bantz, the great-niece of chief bridge engineer Joseph Strauss, and Lucinda and Chris Cone, the granddaughters of resident engineer Russell G. Cone, said they all grew up in families where the Golden Gate loomed large.

"My grandfather arrived here on Valentine's Day - they all knew how difficult this would be," said Lucinda Cone, who lives in Sacramento. "He loved his men. He was a guy's guy, an Irishman who liked to drink and smoke. ... He used to give out sauerkraut juice to the men who arrived with hangovers. They were all hard-drinking guys."

But Cone was "very safety oriented," she said. He insisted that the bridge workers wear leather hard hats and, with Strauss, required that a safety net be hung under the bridge during construction. That net, of course, didn't save the 10 men who plummeted to their deaths in 1937 when a platform gave way. But it did save 10 other lives, according to the Bridge District.

"My grandfather also survived the bends when he dove down to inspect the foundations," Cone said.

Gov. Jerry Brown, who made a brief appearance, noted a family connection with the bridge. His sister, Cynthia, was 3 years old when the Golden Gate Bridge was completed and walked across with their father the first day it was open. She was in the front row Friday while her brother spoke.

Dash of politics

Unable to leave politics entirely aside, the Democratic governor took the opportunity to press for some modern public works projects, including the state's fledgling high-speed rail system.

"When this bridge was built, there was higher unemployment than there is today, and a lot of people were much poorer than they are today," Brown said. "When they couldn't afford it, they built a great monument of courage, and that's what this is. ... If we are never bold, we will never get things done."

The bridge, Brown said, is a connection not just between Marin and San Francisco counties, but between "our past and future."

"It's Golden Gate Bridge Day not just in San Francisco, but in California," he said, and presented a state proclamation.

Anniversary events

For more information on the Sunday festival and the dozens of other anniversary events, visit goldengatebridge75.org.

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